I will definitely be in this class, exactly 50 years after graduating high school in 67, unless I get lucky and get laid off with a severance package before the end of the year (which is possible since I'm training foreigners to take my job).

I just read somewhere about a study that said your first year of retirement is one of the best years of your life and your last year before retirement is one of the worst. I can attest to the latter being true and am looking forward to the former. Right now, every day is Monday.

I had declared for 2017, April if memory serves, now considering just going part-time at that point (4 days a week). I have nothing to retire from except for being extremely busy and until I can find something to retire to I feel like I might as well just keep on going and going and going. But congratulations to all those for whom 2017 will start a new phase and adventure in life.

IMHO, Investing should be about living the life you want, not avoiding the life you fear. |
Run, You Clever Boy! [9085]

I am in the Class of 2016. However, upon making some noise about this impending event, my boss started tring to get me to postpone 'till end of Q1 2017, as I have a couple large projects that will be wrapping up then. Is there a 16/17 class for us fence sitters?

Just sayin... wrote:I am in the Class of 2016. However, upon making some noise about this impending event, my boss started tring to get me to postpone 'till end of Q1 2017, as I have a couple large projects that will be wrapping up then. Is there a 16/17 class for us fence sitters?

Heck I really need one for the class of 2016/2017/2018 because I could change my mind on any given day. To me the date that really matters is the date you reach Financial Independence, after that you can do what you want including retirement or continuing to work or trying a new job/career. I will take being Financially Independent and still working over being force into retirement before I am financially prepared any day.

IMHO, Investing should be about living the life you want, not avoiding the life you fear. |
Run, You Clever Boy! [9085]

Just sayin... wrote:I am in the Class of 2016. However, upon making some noise about this impending event, my boss started tring to get me to postpone 'till end of Q1 2017, as I have a couple large projects that will be wrapping up then. Is there a 16/17 class for us fence sitters?

Heck I really need one for the class of 2016/2017/2018 because I could change my mind on any given day. To me the date that really matters is the date you reach Financial Independence, after that you can do what you want including retirement or continuing to work or trying a new job/career. I will take being Financially Independent and still working over being force into retirement before I am financially prepared any day.

For the past several years, whenever anybody asked me when I was thinking about retiring I always said I wanted to work for at least two more years which felt about right (I'm 67 now). My answer started changing this year and I've been telling them "some time next year". I plan on delaying SS until 70 and I have a younger wife so it might make sense to work longer but I'm in a state of extreme mental burnout, hate my job, and sitting in front of a computer for 40 years has started taking a physical toll on my back and neck. So I've decided its times to go. I don't know if I've achieved "financial independence" but all the retirement planning programs say I'm good to go right now.

I have the month of June in 2017 when I'll turn 68 in mind but I'm not going to tell my boss that. Since they are shipping our jobs to India and laying people off, I don't want them to think they can just wait until June and not have to give me a severance package. But as of now, if I don't get laid off before June I plan on calling it quits though I guess you probably never know if you are really ready to cross that bridge until you come to it. Maybe I'll wait until something totally pisses me off at work and then quit.

I plan to retire effective September 1, 2017. I haven't put in my papers, but I've told my department chair and some of my colleagues. I have some duties that will need to be transferred to other people, so I thought about a year's notice would save me some amount of "Mandy, where do you find X? Mandy, how do you do Y?" after I retire. I don't think I'll actually have to do any work after spring semester ends in May, but September 1 will be my official retirement date.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining; |
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining; |
Thy fate is the common fate of all, |
Into each life some rain must fall, |
Some days must be dark and dreary. |
Longfellow

My retirement date is July 31, 2017. I am already in phased retirement and am enjoying some of the benefits. An event the other day
clued me in to a potential personal finance problem in retirement. I will detail it in another post.

Well my last day of work will be December 22nd, 2016, but my official retirement day will be March 1st, 2017. Riding out vacation time until then. Starting to get the retirement jitters but have a solid plan that we have worked on for years.

What to do in retirement: Watching my newest Grandson, taking care or my parents, and anything else that comes along that I really want to do!!

I had declared myself a member of the Class of 2016, but circumstances beyond my control intervened. Thus, I am re-declaring for 2017. Specifically, my last day at work will be June 30th. That will give me 18 months of COBRA (until the end of 2018) to see where the dust settles with regards to the changing landscape of the ACA - medical expenses being the single largest personal budget line-item for my wife and I. I have set my countdown calendar and eagerly look forward to the next phase of life!

Was going to be in the Class of 17 but worked out a deal with the boss which allows me to work three days a week and keep the benefits. Best of both worlds. Full retirement postponed until further notice.

Last edited by TravelforFun on Tue Nov 15, 2016 10:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

In 2013 I was employed full-time as a union-represented broadcast tech support engineer at one of the TV networks. I was offered a buy-out, and I took it. I put in for my pension, and returned to work almost immediately as a daily-hire (25 hours/week). Between my salary and my pension I was still able to save, although at a much lower rate than before. In three weeks I will retire for real. I'll be going from accumulation mode to de-accumulation mode--the biggest change in my life in many years. I'm 63. I pay for my own health insurance through the New York State exchange. Hoping to delay SS until my FRA (66). Vanguard investor for almost 30 years!

New here but new new to Vanguard Investment philosophy and investing.
June 2017 will be my retirement date.
A little concern about paying health care cost.
Also, reading about retiring in Spain, Lisbon , Thailand or France .

Last edited by sil2017 on Thu Feb 02, 2017 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

TravelforFun wrote:Was going to be in the Class of 17 but worked out a deal with the boss which allows me to work three days a week and keep the benefits. Best of both worlds. Full retirement postponed until further notice.

Same for me. I plan to work enough hours this year to get health insurance coverage, then re-evaluate.

New member and first post. Just started this new life on Monday, 30-January thanks to Mr. Bogle and all the knowledgeable and helpful people on this forum. Let's hope we ALL graduate at the top of our class .

"And this, too, shall pass away." How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction! - Our 16th President

Congrats Invst65! I dream of the 2017 class, but now with kid #2 on the way, we're looking at either 2019 or even 2021. Ugh.... I fully understand how the last year before retirement is the worst. I think my last 5 years are working out to be equivelant to that last year. I truly look forward to being able to declare my year!

I graduated from college in 1975, and have been working continuously for almost 42 years.

Reached critical mass a couple years ago, but just wasn't ready. Have a couple small pensions from old jobs, but mostly dependent on our retirement savings.

Some said they are concerned about health insurance. We positioned ourselves to qualify for maximum subsidy under ObamaCare. Premium is $680/year (yes, per year) for the two of us with $100/person deductible and $1,000/ person maximum out of pocket. To us, this seems like a good deal.

Congrats Invst65! I dream of the 2017 class, but now with kid #2 on the way, we're looking at either 2019 or even 2021. Ugh.... I fully understand how the last year before retirement is the worst. I think my last 5 years are working out to be equivelant to that last year. I truly look forward to being able to declare my year!

Well, actually in subsequent posts I've had to announce that I surprisingly ended up in the class of 2016 although I guess I could still claim the class of 2017 since I got my last severance paycheck at the end of December.

It wasn't voluntary but I haven't looked back for a moment. Right around the time of the last paycheck I even hit my retirement number so financially things are looking fine.

The only negative thing I can report about retiring at age 67 is that all the ideas I had about how active my life was going to become, doing all the things I wanted to do when I retired ran into one slight complication - a little thing called "arthritis". It turned out to be a little more challenging to my planned active lifestyle than I thought it would be. It's nowhere near debilitating but I do find that I end up paying a surprising price in joint pain when I do the things I was planning on doing. It's caused me to take life a little slower which really isn't such a bad thing.

March 3, 2017 will be my last day of work. I thought I would retire 3 years ago, and kept putting it off, raising the bar, but a few weeks ago I just went in and gave notice. So glad I pulled the trigger. Bogleheads has been very helpful along the way.

Please add my name to the 2017 Roll — if anyone is maintaining the 2017 Roll.

I've notified Human Resources, my supervisor, and his supervisor, so it must be real. My last day on the payroll will be March 31, 2017, just a month and change after turning 55.

The decision to leave this early has been much tougher than I had ever expected. I'll be taking a huge 30% hit in my pension for leaving 5 years early, and there will be 5 years' less savings. So retirement income will be significantly reduced compared to waiting until 60.

However, the opportunity cost in lost time by waiting seemed too great a price to pay. While I've enjoyed job satisfaction throughout my career, it takes more and more effort to muster enthusiasm anymore (he said on a Friday evening). Thirty years at the same place feels like just enough.

With basic expenses covered by a modest pension (about 1/3 of my final salary), and everything else covered by a combination of pre-tax, post-tax and taxable savings, the opportunity to reinvent my life just seems too good to pass up. It's time to indulge in the luxury of an early retirement, after decades of delayed gratification.

invst65 wrote:Well, actually in subsequent posts I've had to announce that I surprisingly ended up in the class of 2016 although I guess I could still claim the class of 2017 since I got my last severance paycheck at the end of December.

It wasn't voluntary but I haven't looked back for a moment. Right around the time of the last paycheck I even hit my retirement number so financially things are looking fine.

LadyIJ wrote:March 3, 2017 will be my last day of work. I thought I would retire 3 years ago, and kept putting it off, raising the bar, but a few weeks ago I just went in and gave notice. So glad I pulled the trigger. Bogleheads has been very helpful along the way.

I'm out on May 12th, the day I turn 50, which happens to be a Friday this year. My employer and employees all know and I can't wait until the big day. I may get involved in politics, something forbidden with my career, and I may dip my toe in the part-time employment pool at some point.

invst65 wrote:
The only negative thing I can report about retiring at age 67 is that all the ideas I had about how active my life was going to become, doing all the things I wanted to do when I retired ran into one slight complication - a little thing called "arthritis". It turned out to be a little more challenging to my planned active lifestyle than I thought it would be. It's nowhere near debilitating but I do find that I end up paying a surprising price in joint pain when I do the things I was planning on doing. It's caused me to take life a little slower which really isn't such a bad thing.

Reality bites. I had envisioned playing golf 2-3 times a week during retirement. My body can only take 1-2X a month.

For most of us, there really is a narrow window between FI and how long one can enjoy it all.

TheTimeLord wrote:I had declared for 2017, April if memory serves, now considering just going part-time at that point (4 days a week). I have nothing to retire from except for being extremely busy and until I can find something to retire to I feel like I might as well just keep on going and going and going. But congratulations to all those for whom 2017 will start a new phase and adventure in life.

After a detailed review of my next decade+ of expenses between now and Social Security it seems that while I can leave yesterday, February 1, 2018 (or beyond) would be optimum. So I am opting out of the class of 2017 (unless there is a reorg at work that alters my reporting structure). I have however started my pre-retirement fitness routine and medical check-ups as well as using taking care of some largish purchases before retirement.

"To infinity and beyond" ~ Buzz Lightyear

IMHO, Investing should be about living the life you want, not avoiding the life you fear. |
Run, You Clever Boy! [9085]

The decision to leave this early has been much tougher than I had ever expected. I'll be taking a huge 30% hit in my pension for leaving 5 years early, and there will be 5 years' less savings. So retirement income will be significantly reduced compared to waiting until 60.

However, the opportunity cost in lost time by waiting seemed too great a price to pay. While I've enjoyed job satisfaction throughout my career, it takes more and more effort to muster enthusiasm anymore (he said on a Friday evening). Thirty years at the same place feels like just enough.

With basic expenses covered by a modest pension (about 1/3 of my final salary), and everything else covered by a combination of pre-tax, post-tax and taxable savings, the opportunity to reinvent my life just seems too good to pass up. It's time to indulge in the luxury of an early retirement, after decades of delayed gratification.

This resonates strongly with my outlook and situation. I had 32 years at my employer and turn 55 later this year. The opportunity to discover new aspects of myself without a 9 to 5, five days a week constraint is exciting. How many good years does anyone have?

Good luck and safe travels to us all .

"And this, too, shall pass away." How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction! - Our 16th President

invst65 wrote:
The only negative thing I can report about retiring at age 67 is that all the ideas I had about how active my life was going to become, doing all the things I wanted to do when I retired ran into one slight complication - a little thing called "arthritis". It turned out to be a little more challenging to my planned active lifestyle than I thought it would be. It's nowhere near debilitating but I do find that I end up paying a surprising price in joint pain when I do the things I was planning on doing. It's caused me to take life a little slower which really isn't such a bad thing.

Reality bites. I had envisioned playing golf 2-3 times a week during retirement. My body can only take 1-2X a month.

For most of us, there really is a narrow window between FI and how long one can enjoy it all.

The decision to leave this early has been much tougher than I had ever expected. I'll be taking a huge 30% hit in my pension for leaving 5 years early, and there will be 5 years' less savings. So retirement income will be significantly reduced compared to waiting until 60.

However, the opportunity cost in lost time by waiting seemed too great a price to pay. While I've enjoyed job satisfaction throughout my career, it takes more and more effort to muster enthusiasm anymore (he said on a Friday evening). Thirty years at the same place feels like just enough.

With basic expenses covered by a modest pension (about 1/3 of my final salary), and everything else covered by a combination of pre-tax, post-tax and taxable savings, the opportunity to reinvent my life just seems too good to pass up. It's time to indulge in the luxury of an early retirement, after decades of delayed gratification.

This resonates strongly with my outlook and situation. I had 32 years at my employer and turn 55 later this year. The opportunity to discover new aspects of myself without a 9 to 5, five days a week constraint is exciting. How many good years does anyone have?

On April Fools' Day i will become a gentleman of leisure. I gave notice today.

-Will do good- and -cinghiale- :
At the DC Area Diehards meeting last September, Victoria said she is happy to pass this baton. These days, I gather she's more interested in getting people to walk the Camino de Santiago.

Whiggish Boffin,
Thanks for the update. For me, it was just a matter of courtesy to check in with Victoria on this.
And congratulations on your upcoming retirement! I'm a happy member of the Class of 2015.Will do good,
Nothing to fear. Victoria is quite wonderful. How can you be a pilgrim on the Camino and not be?

"We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are." Anais Nin |
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"Sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the obvious." George Orwell